Atelier Bowy C.D., an initiative within Henzel Studio, introduces The Atelier Editions — a platform bringing together architects, designers and cultural voices to explore the rug as a medium for material and conceptual investigation.
Drawing on Henzel’s decades of expertise in hand-knotted production, the initiative provides contributors with both creative freedom and the technical framework required to translate ambitious ideas into physical form. Rather than pursuing a single aesthetic direction, The Atelier Editions fosters an exchange between disciplines, geographies, and approaches. Participants are encouraged to reconsider scale, texture, and composition, treating the rug as a surface where architectural thinking, artistic intention, and material research intersect.
Each work is conceived not simply as a functional object, but as a tactile element capable of shaping space. Through variations in density, relief, and construction, the woven surface can register movement, influence atmosphere, and alter how a room is perceived. Material exploration plays a central role. Traditional fibers are used alongside carefully considered combinations chosen for their ability to hold detail, absorb light, and produce subtle tonal shifts. The handmade process remains visible throughout, preserving the presence of touch, time, and human decision-making.
Through this evolving platform, Atelier Bowy and Henzel Studio continue to position the handmade rug within contemporary cultural discourse — as a medium in active dialogue with art, architecture, and design.
Image: Portrait of Fernanda Marques.
Calle Henzel — New York / Milan / Greater Copenhagen
Calle Henzel is a Swedish artist and designer whose practice explores the intersection of art, architecture and textile. Over more than three decades he has developed a distinctive body of work centered on the hand-knotted rug as a medium for artistic expression. Working internationally and spending periods based in both New York and Milan, Henzel has developed a practice shaped by dialogue with artists, designers and cultural institutions. As founder of Henzel Studio, he has collaborated with more than forty internationally recognized artists through the studio’s Henzel Studio Collaborations and Henzel Heritage programs, developed together with curator Joakim Andreasson. These collaborations have included artists such as Richard Prince, Nan Goldin, Andy Warhol and Mickalene Thomas, among many others. Through this work, Henzel has helped position the handmade rug within a contemporary artistic context, collaborating with artists whose practices span painting, photography, sculpture and installation. Today he runs his studios and gallery together with his wife, Asa Henzel.
Atelier Bowy C.D. was initiated by Calle Henzel as a platform for a new generation of collaborations. While Henzel Studio established the foundation for artist-led textile works, Atelier Bowy expands the dialogue toward architects, designers and cultural voices whose practices engage with space, structure and material research. Within this framework, Henzel also presents his own collections — works that move between sculptural expression and restrained architectural compositions. Together they form a platform where contemporary artistic inquiry meets the long tradition of hand-knotted textile craftsmanship.
